New York Red Bulls Quote Sheet

NewsJul 24, 2012

Post-Match Quote Sheet
New York Red Bulls 1, St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri 0
2011-12 Development Academy U-15/16 Championship Final
July 23, 2012
New York Red Bulls head coach ROB ELLIOTTOn the championship match:
“First of all, I’d like to send our condolences to Reyna family for all they have been through. It certainly puts things in perspective. As for the game, I thought they were a very good team. They gave us everything we could handle. We had to fight off a ton of set pieces and throw ins. We bent a little bit but didn’t break, so it’s a really good result.”
On what it means for this group to win the championship:
“This is all about the players; young kids having to deal with good times, tough times, and pressure situations, and figuring out ways to be successful in whatever the game brings you. I’m proud of their effort.”

New York Red Bulls forward ALEX MUYL On hearing the final whistle:
“This is the biggest thing I’ve won in my life. This is my favorite moment so far. When they got that final free kick and final long throw in we were holding hands and so scared, but finally the whistle blew and we just ran. I’ve never felt like that before in my life.”

On seeing out an early 1-0 lead for the win:
“That was a battle. It was hard out there. They were a good side, but this shows the resilience that we have. We’ve been through so many ups and downs this season, so many good days and bad days. We’ve struggled through it to where we are now. This just shows the resilience of this team.”

On having players step up during the season:
“We have the deepest team in the country. We have kids coming from the U-17 National Team that don’t even start here. It helps so much. I can come out and then a U-17 Residency player can come in and be solid. That’s really what has helped win the championship, that depth.”
New York Red Bulls midfielder ARUN BASULJEVICOn hearing the final whistle:
It’s the greatest feeling in the world, just all the hard work we’ve put in through the season. Our goal was to win the national championship and now that we’ve done it, it’s so fulfilling and rewarding. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

On grinding out a tough win:
“We always had confidence in our defense and our goalie. This was a very good team, they got to the final for a reason. We stuck to our game plan, we possessed the ball. We knew if we didn’t concede a goal we would ultimately win the game.”

On whether or not there was a different strategy approaching the final:
“It was a little different because they played with two defensive midfielders and one attacking, so me and my partner Steven Echevarria had to figure it out in the first half. Otherwise, we stuck to our game plan that got us here throughout the year and we were confident.”

On the team’s depth:
“It’s a great luxury. We got a red card in our last game against our starting center back and we had a guy come in and fill in tonight and do a great job. It’s great to have a guy come off the bench and do the job just as well as the starter can. It was very good for us and we’re glad we have it (the depth).”

New York Red Bulls forward ADAM NAJEMOn what winning the championship means to the team:
“I can’t even put into words how much it means to us. We’ve had ups and downs all season, and this just puts it all together. Winning a national championship is what we strived for from the beginning, and we made it.”

On the game plan tonight:
“We just stuck to our philosophy throughout the whole tournament, trying to place nice soccer. It was tougher today against a great opponent like Scott Gallagher, but once we calmed down a little bit being in the atmosphere of the final, it was good.”

On Finals Week overall:
“This was the most competitive week I’ve had my whole life. To come out with a championship is magical.”